1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a paper processing device that cuts continuous paper that is transported.
2. Related Art
In large-quantity high-speed printing, conventionally, continuous paper with which a large quantity of paper can be handled is used in a configuration such as a roll paper. In this continuous paper processing system, post-processing such as cutting, binding, stitching, inserting and enclosing/sealing cut paper for printed matter corresponding to purpose can be performed by a post-processing machine being from a continuous paper supplying device via a printing machine or printer device (including a rotary press or digital printer) or by combining a post-processing machine with a supply device of continuous paper that has been printed and is rolled into a roll.
In a cutting unit that performs cutting of the continuous paper, processing is performed in which the continuous paper is cut in the length direction (transporting direction) and the width direction (direction orthogonal to the transporting direction) of the continuous paper to correspond to a predetermined paper size. Additionally, downstream of the cutting unit in the transporting direction of the continuous paper, there is disposed a waste paper collection bin called a purge, and unnecessary cut pieces (unnecessary portions) that have been cut by the cutting unit are collected therein. On the other hand, cut paper (paper) during a printing job is transported to a post-processing machine on the downstream side of the cutting unit, or the paper transporting path is switched per purpose and the cut paper is guided to a predetermined stacker.
In processes pertaining to the continuous paper, it is demanded that the continuous paper is cut into the necessary size while being transported at a high speed and is transported to the necessary processing unit.
A cutting mechanism in a conventional device cuts the entire width of the paper in batch manner by a rotary cutter shaft, so it cannot perform cutting operation to change the width in a right-angle direction to the transporting of the paper that is to be cut. Further, when the paper has been cut along the paper transporting direction by the above-described slitter, the entire width ends up being cut in batch manner by the rotary cutter in the cutting mechanism. So, when the paper is to be cut in the width direction of the paper at a different place in the transporting direction, it has been necessary to largely separate each of the paper transporting positions after cutting, to transport one paper to another paper cutting unit via a different paper transporting path, and to process that paper.
Even in the above-described continuous paper processing system, in the publication of a small number of printed matter on-demand, and particularly in DM printing and invoices that are of a large quantity but are different, the demand for a variable post-processing machine that speedily processes papers is rising.
Among this, there is also a demand to process, in batch manner, forms (ledger, slip and the like) of different paper sizes, but in the continuous paper processing system, switching between paper sizes is not easy in comparison to cut paper because of the configuration of that paper. So, it has been difficult to variably perform paper cutting at a high speed in correspondence to various printing output while maintaining high speed.
For example, different forms cannot be collectively processed, and not only does setup work that is necessary between jobs in accompaniment with frequent paper size changing become a significant factor in a drop in total performance but it also leads to needless consumption of paper due to paper switching and setup.
Particularly in switching paper sizes in the width direction of the paper, it is necessary to switch the paper itself and to adjust the position of the tooth of the cutter mechanism, that work requires a large amount of time, and not only does this hinder high-speediness, but a large quantity of paper also becomes necessary for positional adjustment, and sometimes seam in the continuous paper causes a problem in the downstream side post-processing machine.
Further, even when the size in the paper transporting direction is to be switched, the continuous paper ends up being cut in batch manner by the rotary cutter or the like that is used in order to correspond high speed, and the continuous paper cannot be cut into different sizes by a single device, so not only does the system become significantly complex and expensive in accompaniment with an increase in the complexity of the processing, but also a significant drop in operating efficiency has also been seen, such as papers that have been cut in the paper transporting direction being divided and transported to different post-processing machines and being cut by separately installed cutting devices